Starkiller

Star Wars: Force Unleashed II, much like its protagonist, is a poor imitation of the original. I was hoping that the outcome would be different, but before its launch, I heard rumblings that the sequel would be a disappointment. It was coming out too soon. (It was two years since the original.) Colleagues who played it claimed that it was incredibly short. (They said there weren’t too many locales.)

I braced myself for the worst and though the follow-up wasn’t horrible, it was indeed not what I expected. Video games sequels are usually bigger and better than their predecessors. Frankly, I wouldn’t mind more of the same because the first game held so much promise.

The original Force Unleashed used Digital Molecular Molecule to mimic destructable matter. The hero, Starkiller, could break open doors or destroy the environment in realistic ways, giving the world a feeling that it was alive. Meanwhile, the Euphoria engine created fascinating AI enemies that didn’t react like ragdolls during combat. The combination left players with unscripted and unique interactions with the game world. Sometimes enemies would latch on to each other while they hung on to platforms. Other times glass would shatter open in an unexpected way. There was a randomness to Force Unleashed’s world that made it stand out.

The sequel lacks any of the this. Force Unleashed II is more direct, conventional and, yes, brief. It begins with Starkiller or rather what appears to be his doppleganger on Kamino, the planet from Attack of the Clones. Again, Darth Vader is training him, but this Starkiller is different. He’s no blank slate; instead, he’s a man haunted by memories of his past.

So says Darth Vader to his young, secret apprentice in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, the latest video game entry from LucasArts and Krome in the legendary series. And, frankly, that line sums up the game pretty well.

Force Unleashed is the best Star Wars game I’ve played since Knights of the Old Republic and its sequel. But still, it comes up a little short in enough areas to keep it from becoming much more than a Padawan.

The aspect I was most excited about going into the game was, well, the Force. The combat system offers a lot of options and provides a number of “Wow!” moments. From hurling a ball of electricity at a Jedi to simply Force choking a Wookiee (no double entendre intended), young Starkiller, as he’s codenamed, has a lot of powers to choose from. But, alas, one of the most entertaining ways to kill your enemies — by throwing any number of random objects at them — often turns into one of the most frustrating.

I lost count of how many times I meant to pick up a storm trooper and throw him at one of his comrades when, instead, I ended up tossing a piece of rubble at nothing in particular.

Nonetheless, the game’s use of the Wiimote is perhaps the best thing going for it. Want to Force push your way through a horde of droids? Just thrust that Nunchuk straight forward. Feel like swinging your light saber (which becomes more customizable as you progress through the game) with reckless abandon? Just whip that Wii Remote around. Sweet.